Press & Media Information

If you are interested in speaking to an AAEA member on a particular topic at the 2018 AAEA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., please contact Allison Scheetz at ascheetz@aaea.org or (414) 918-3190. Please keep in mind that no members are authorized to speak on behalf of the association. Any and all quotes and information provided by AAEA members do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or opinions of AAEA.

View the Invitation to Press & Media, Press Release

Want to attend the Annual Meeting? Fill out the Press Registration form, send it to Allison Scheetz at ascheetz@aaea.org and you can participate in Annual Meeting sessions and events, FREE of charge!

About the Annual Meeting

About 1,500 participants are expected to attend the 2018 AAEA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. at the Marriott Wardman Park, August 5-7. The Annual Meeting is made up of Invited Paper Sessions, Invited Case Study Papers, Organized Symposia, Selected Presentation Lightning Session, Selected Presentation, and Track Sessions.

Invited Paper Sessions are selected by the AAEA President and two additional Board members based on proposals submitted by AAEA members. These sessions are chosen because they may appeal to a broad spectrum of meeting attendees, further the development and dissemination of systematic knowledge in the field of agricultural and applied economics, and/or generate meaningful conversation. Invited Paper sessions generally involve 2-3 paper presentations and ample opportunity for discussion.  Invited papers may also be published in the proceedings issue of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics

Invited Case Study Papers are selected by members of the Case Study Committee based on proposals submitted by AAEA members. Papers presented in this session demonstrate how the application of economics principles to decision making in the public and/or private sectors lead to better decisions. Papers presented in this session may be published in the proceedings issue of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.

Organized Symposia are selected by the AAEA President based on proposals submitted by AAEA members. They highlight work-in-progress and involve discussions of policy issues, research methods, emerging research results, teaching or outreach topics, and issues in professional organization. The format of a session may involve paper presentations, panel discussions, debates, roundtable meetings, or other formats.

Selected Presentation Lightning Sessions includes 8 Selected Paper Presentations. Each presenter will have 9-10 minutes to present and discuss their paper.

Selected Presentations refers collectively to Selected Papers and Selected Posters. Selected Paper Sessions include up to four paper presentations. Each paper presentation is given 20 minutes; 15 minutes to present and five minutes for discussion.

Track Sessions are a set of multiple sessions submitted by AAEA Sections, scheduled throughout the meeting and devoted to a common interest area or topic. Sessions can be organized by a single Section or by multiple Sections to cover a wider range of topics.

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Media Kit

Washington Policy Outlook

Track Session - Extension Section

The policy outlook session will focus on contemporary, federal policy issues affecting agriculture. The presenters will provide insight from their unique perspectives and work for Congress, USDA, and related agencies. The presenters will discuss policy issues, development, and implementation to address not only the current policy issues for agriculture, but also the policy development and implementation process and the role of economics in the process.

Monday, August 6
10:00 am - 11:30 am
Room: Maryland A
Lobby Level
View Press Release

The Economics of Marijuana

Track Session - Australasia Section (AUS)

The legalization of marijuana for recreational use has been debated for decades. In the past 5 years, 8 states and the District of Columbia have voted to legalize use and possession.  Along with the legalization of the formally illicit drug, comes a need for extensive analysis, in order to understand the potential tax implications as well as implications for the black market, the medicinal marijuana market, and regulations pertaining to them.  This session provides perspectives on the new markets for California and Washington State and the regional implications for legalizing marijuana for recreation.

Monday, August 6
10:00 am - 11:30 am
Room: Roosevelt 1
Exhibit Level
View Press Release

Food Waste Economics: Opportunities and Innovations

Invited Paper

The goal of this session is to identify opportunities and innovations in food waste research. Presenters will discuss: research questions, key challenges, and data availability for conducting economic research on food waste and loss; how policies targeting food waste at one node in the food system impact other upstream or downstream nodes; and the role of learning in household waste behaviors.

Monday, August 6
10:00 am - 11:30 am
Room: Wilson C
Mezzanine Level
View Press Release

Gene Editing: Economic Issues for CRISPR in Food and Agriculture

Invited Paper

Recent breakthroughs in gene editing, with the 2012 introduction of CRISPR, a highly precise yet versatile DNA “cut-and-paste” technology, have led to an explosion in R&D applications, unprecedented since the rise of biotechnology in the 1970s. These new technologies are capable of a wide range of genetic “edits” in plants and animals and are promising an equally wide range of applications in food and agriculture. While the potential for medical applications of CRISPR technology has captured the public imagination, it is still unclear how potential agricultural and food applications will be received by consumers and the public. The regulatory and intellectual property (IP) landscape also remain uncertain.

Monday, August 6
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Room: Hoover
Mezzanine Level
View Press Release>>

Agricultural Labor Force, Immigration Policy, and Rural Development

Track Session - Senior Section and Community & Regional Economics Network (CRENET)

American agriculture is dependent on immigrant labor, especially in specialized production and processing activities. Mechanization and robotics will continue to fill the rural labor gap but future gains will only come with large capital investment in mechanization and automation. Additionally, immigration policy changes may be dramatic and sudden, plunging production and processing into disarray, and leading to further losses from unharvested produce.

What are the implications of immigration policy for rural development? While many rural communities are disappearing, immigrants in more accepting communities are starting businesses, buying homes, and getting involved in school and community activities. Our focus is on how dependent agriculture is on immigrants, how far and how fast mechanization can close the potential labor gap caused by immigration policy, and what are the implications of immigration reform for rural development.

Monday, August 6
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Room: Wilson B
Mezzanine Level
View Press Release

Food Fraud, Food Safety, and Public Policy

Track Session - Food Safety & Nutrition Section (FSN) and Senior Section

Food fraud and problems with food safety erode the trust of consumers in the food supply.  This lightning session includes papers looking at the impacts of food fraud, the value of trust in food safety in developing countries and in international trade, the impacts of foodborne illness on the U.S. population, and the impact of the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

Monday, August 6
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Room: Washington 4
Exhibit Level
View Press Release

Guest Worker Programs in Agriculture: Drivers of Change

Organized Symposia

The H-2A agricultural guest worker program has expanded rapidly across the U.S. Panelists from the USDA/ERS and University of Florida (UF) have analyzed data from H-2A petitions and conducted several surveys of growers, workers, and other agricultural labor stakeholders with an emphasis on how H-2A workers are being used in the specialty crop industries.

Monday, August 6
2:45 pm - 4:15 pm
Room: Harding
Mezzanine Level
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Risk Management Programs and the Farm Bill

Track Session - Applied Risk Analysis Section (ARA)

The negotiations over the 2018 Farm Bill cover commodity support and risk management programs, which are the second largest USDA budgetary expenditure after nutrition programs.  Congressional budget disciplines, relatively low net farm income and prices for several major crops, and yield basis risk all play into the negotiations over program changes.  This discussion will provide government, industry, and academic perspectives on issues regarding changes to risk management programs in the Farm Bill and their implementation.

Monday, August 6
2:45 pm - 4:15 pm
Room: Roosevelt 3
Exhibit Level
View Press Release

Renegotiating Trade Agreements: Implication for Agriculture

Organized Symposia

The purpose of this proposed symposium is to discuss the implications of potential renegotiation of existing U.S. trade agreements for agriculture. This issue is extremely important for U.S. and global agriculture given the current political environment. Five expert panelists will be asked a series of prepared questions that focus on the major issues involving trade renegotiations. After responding, several questions will be elicited from the audience and responses will be provided by the panelists.

Tuesday, August 7
10:00 am - 11:30 am
Room: Coolidge
Mezzanine Level
View Press Release>>

Food Waste along the Supply Chain: Drivers and Market Implications

Track Session - Institutional & Behavioral Economics Section (IBES) and Food & Agricultural Marketing Policy Section (FAMPS)

In this session, presenters will discuss drivers of food waste at various points in the supply chain, such as date labels and food shopping behaviors at the household level and a lack of a coordination higher up the chain to manage surplus food. Using a combination of experimental and existing market data, these presentations will offer implications for improving market efficiency and reducing food waste.

Tuesday, August 7
10:00 am - 11:30 am
Room: Marriott Balcony B
Mezzanine Level
View Press Release>>

Working with the Media Session

During the 2018 Working with the Media session, AAEA members are encouraged to share their research with a new audience. Members will have a chance to openly speak to media personnel to discuss their hesitancy with participating in interviews. There will also be a few AAEA members who are well versed at being the expert for media interview requests.

Interested in getting started with communicating to a broader audience or want to get advice from experts in the field, this is a session you won’t want to miss.

Tuesday, August 7
11:45 am - 12:45 pm
Room: Maryland A
Lobby Level
Learn more>>

International Trade - Agricultural Trade and China

Selected Presentation-Paper Session

Two papers examine the impact of Chinese trade and domestic policy on access to its market.  A third examines characteristics of Chinese agricultural exporters. The fourth paper looks at Chinese border trade with Myanmar.

Tuesday, August 7
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Room: Park Tower 8219
Lobby Level
View Press Release>>

International Trade -Policy Impacts on Agricultural Trade

Selected Presentation-Lightning Session

Papers in this session examine agricultural trade impacts of trade policies, sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) measures, and other domestic policies and investments.

Tuesday, August 7
2:45 pm - 4:15 pm
Room: Wilson B
Mezzanine Level
View Press Release>>